The human bloodlust behind dog fights

While dog fighting forms part of the growing world of underground gambling, money is not the only motivation for the recent scourge of this criminal act in SA.

Many who take part in the vicious spectacle do so purely for bloodlust.

So says the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

“There are people who enjoy violence. There are people who enjoy watching a vulnerable animal suffer,” said Nadia Hansa, an inspector for the National SPCA.

A dog fight usually ends only when one of the dogs is so badly injured that it can no longer continue fighting, Hansa explained.

“Dog fighting has a number of ways of making profit for the dog fighters. One way is illegal betting on the actual fights, but the winnings can include various things. Sometimes it’s just a bottle of alcohol, sometimes it’s large sums of money or the breeding rights to winning dogs and the selling of those puppies.